Shiba Inu Training Secrets

The Shiba Inu is a very beautiful dog. However, behind that foxy face, is a dominant, stubborn, intelligent, and extremely mischievous personality. This can make them a challenge to care for.

Indeed Shiba Inus are not for the faint-hearted, and they are not recommended for first-time dog owners.

Shiba Inu Training Secrets.

Despite this warning, my heart was already set on a Shiba Inu puppy. I had a lot of free time then, so I thought I would be able to handle one little dog. After all, how difficult can a small puppy be?

Little did I know, a Shiba Inu can be a major pain in the ass!

Even dog veterans have problems with their first Shiba. In fact, many experienced trainers were unable to handle my Shiba Sephy.

Here are the Shiba Inu training secrets that helped me turn my devil dog into a model citizen. Well, maybe not a model citizen, but a fun citizen that I truly enjoy living with.

Do not be fooled - A Shiba Inu can be a major pain in the ass.

1. There are No Miracle Cures

When I first got Shiba Sephy, he was a big challenge.

Some of his favorite daily activities include biting my hands, running crazily around the house, biting on curtains, vicious leash biting, jumping on me and others, humping my leg, and much more.

I was desperate to get him under control, and did a lot of research online and off-line. I read a lot of online articles and bulletin boards. I called local dog trainers, watched all the dog training shows on television, and read a lot of dog training books.

During this time, I found something that looked like a miracle … a 10 minute Shiba online training program. According to this advertisement, there were some special “Shiba words” that will magically turn a Shiba into a Lassie. Yeah right!

Luckily, I did not succumb to my desperation, and did not buy this product.

The fact is, there are NO “miracle cures” for training a Shiba Inu.

The secret of Shiba training, is simply to exercise extreme patience, and find humor in our Shiba’s antics. Use reward obedience training, and always be firm but fair.

A Shiba will probably never be a Lassie, or perfect dog. However, if you are looking for a dog with a big personality, who will always make you laugh with his sneaky and roguish ways, then the Shiba Inu is for you.

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2. Use Passive Resistance

2. Use Passive Resistance.

Shiba Inus get bored easily and do not like being ignored.

The best way to deal with Shiba Inu misbehavior is through passive resistance.

Shibas get bored easily and do not like being ignored. They really enjoy their freedom, and also like being close to their human pack. We can control a Shiba best by controlling these most desired resources: our attention, and his freedom.

If we actively try to stop our Shiba either through physical punishment (e.g. alpha rolls, leash jerk) or active restraint, he will fight back. This encourages him to practice rough play, and biting on people.

If we back away, or become fearful of our Shiba, he will learn that he “wins” by showing dog aggression.

If we over-correct our Shiba by exerting too much physical force, or by correcting him too frequently, we will lose his trust, and it is difficult to regain a Shiba Inu’s trust.

What works best with a Shiba is NOT to engage in a physical competition, but rather to engage in a mental one.

There are certain resources that Sephy really enjoys including walks, treats, toys, and his freedom.

When I want to take him on his walk, I go to the door with his lead, and call him to me. Initially, he would dally and not really want to come, because he wants to go walking on his own schedule. I count to three. If he does not come, I leave and go about my own business.

After a short time, Sephy will amble over, and pester me to take him on his walk. This is done through begging, and whining. I ignore all this bad dog behavior. When I have a break in my schedule again, I repeat the above exercise.

A Shiba will quickly learn that to get the resources that he wants most (e.g. go on walks), he has to do it according to our rules, and our schedule. It is important to practice the Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF) program with a Shiba.

Set a Shiba Inu up for success, so that we can reward him frequently, and keep him interested in doing what we want.

Another Shiba favorite is to steal something he is not supposed to, and then run away with it, thereby engaging a fun chase game.

A Shiba Inu is very agile, and it will be difficult for us to catch him. I always try to keep an eye out for my sneaky Shiba, and stop him before he steals an object. I also put a drag lead on him, so that I can easily catch him by stepping on the lead.

Note: Use a regular flat collar with the drag lead, and not an aversive collar. Aversive collars such as prong collars or choke chains, should only be used during supervised training sessions. Cut the loop on the drag-lead, so that it does not catch on anything in the house.

Only give our Shiba Inu attention when he refrains from bad Shiba behaviors.

3. Rules, Rules, Rules

3. Rules, Rules, Rules.

No biting on people. Shiba Inu Sephy is redirected onto a toy.

Shiba Inus are naturally dominant. If we do not provide them with rules, that we consistently enforce, they will take over the house.

It is best to enforce those rules as early as possible. This ensures that Shiba does not develop any bad habits later on, that will be more difficult to break.

Some of Shiba Sephy’s rules:

1. No Biting

The most important rule that I place on Sephy, is no biting on people. Shiba Inus are a very mouthy breed. Their instinct is to use their mouth in a wide variety of situations, including when they are excited, frustrated, and fearful.

They also have large teeth, and can accidentally hurt children and seniors. If Sephy starts biting on me or on others, I no-mark the behavior (Ack, ack). If he continues, I put him on a time-out.

It is also important to teach a Shiba bite inhibition. In this way, when he loses control of himself and does bite, he will not cause much harm.

No food aggression.

No rough play with people.

2. No Food Aggression or Resource Guarding

Prevent our Shiba Inu from guarding resources. Shibas have a don’t back down, don’t surrender attitude. Therefore, the best way to teach them not to guard resources, is to use reward training techniques.

Show them that people and other dogs coming near them, while they are eating or playing with their toys, is a good thing. Prevent stealing, and practice exchanging objects. This teaches them that giving up something, does not mean it is gone forever.

If we use physical force to grab a toy away from our Shiba, he will likely become more possessive over his objects. He will also lose trust in us, and may use aggression to protect himself, and his belongings.

3. No Rough Play

I do not play rough with Sephy. He gets to wrestle with my other dogs, but no wrestling is allowed with humans.

I also do not play any dominance games with him, for example, no Tug-of-War. The few times that I did play Tug with Shiba Sephy, he followed very strict rules during the game. However, when I took him out for walks, he would start playing tug with the leash (leash biting).

Shiba Inu Sephy only does rough play with other dogs.

4. Socialize Our Shiba Inu

4. Socialize Our Shiba Inu.

Socialize our young Shiba Inu to many sights, sounds, and smells.

Shiba Inus have an extreme play style that many dogs may not like.

Shiba Inus can get aggressive to unfamiliar things including objects, dogs, people, and environments.

They are also naturally stubborn, and may become aggressive when forced to do things that they do not like.

Socialize our young Shiba to many sights, sounds, and smells, and he will be ready to handle new things as a confident, and well-balanced adult. Make sure that new experiences are always positive, and at worst, neutral.

Some things to consider while socializing our Shiba Inu:

1. Shiba Inus have an extreme play style, that many dogs may not like.

When he was young, I used to take Sephy to enclosed dog parks. During this time, his favorite play partners were larger dogs, and young Pit Bulls. Shibas like doing wrestling and rough play, which can easily overwhelm other small dogs.

Choose our Shiba’s play-mates carefully, so that a fun time can be had by all.

Shiba Inus dislike handling.

2. Shiba Inus dislike handling.

Socialize a Shiba to touching and grooming, as early as possible. Pair the touch and groom sessions with very good treats, so that he will associate handling with positive experiences.

Do not use physical force to do any grooming. This will make it into an unpleasant experience, and our Shiba will fight us every step of the way.

Instead, groom gently, and make it short, fun, and rewarding.

3. Shiba Inus do not generally like people petting them from above.

Petting from above can be seen as a dominance move by dogs, and Shibas may see this as a threat.

We can slowly desensitize our Shiba to this move, by pairing head petting with good food rewards. At the same time, instruct people to approach from under our dog’s head, and scratch his chest.

5. Control Our Own Energy

An important thing to remember while interacting with our Shiba, is to control our own energy.

Shiba Inus are especially sensitive to the energy of their owners, and the people around them.

When I first got puppy Sephy, he was extremely mouthy. In particular, he would resort to biting when I stopped him from doing something unacceptable.

This made me become afraid of him.

The more afraid I became, the worse Sephy behaved. As soon as I got fearful, he would start to hump my leg, grab my clothes, jump on me, or bite my hands, arms, and legs.

5. Control Our Own Energy.

Anger and frustration will also elicit extreme Shiba Inu behaviors.

Anger and frustration will also elicit extreme Shiba behaviors.

In the early days, I had a dog walker take Sephy out for group walks at the park. When the walker tried to stop Sephy from doing something disruptive, he would object, and try out one of his Shiba moves, including alligator rolls, leash biting, hand biting, and of course the Shiba scream.

The dog walker naturally got embarrassed when Sephy screamed like he was about to die. There were other people around, and some of them thought that she was mistreating the poor dog. Sephy easily sensed her embarrassment and frustration. From then on, the Shiba scream was his favorite weapon to use against her.

With a Shiba Inu, it is important to stay calm at all times.

Once I was able to control my fear and remain calm, things improved significantly with my Shiba Inu.

With a Shiba Inu, it is important to stay calm at all times.

If we lose our cool, Shiba will sense it and continue to use this weakness against us.

The best way to handle a misbehaving Shiba, is to stay calm, and remove him to a quiet, lower stimulus area, as soon as possible. If he continues with his bad behavior, he gets his freedoms revoked with a time-out. Remember that fear, anger, frustration, and other extreme emotions will only make the problem worse.

Once I was able to control my fear and remain calm, things improved significantly with my Shiba.

Sephy will never be a model-citizen, but nowadays, he is actually very fun to be with. He is goofy, he is funny, and he usually stays out of serious trouble.

Shibas can be a big challenge to live with, but they are well worth the effort. They have a great personality, and they are always up to something that will make us laugh.

I love my Shiba Inu.

He is one of my best buddies, and whenever I see him, I just have to smile.

Gotta love a Shiba Inu!

Comments

I got a male shiba puppy about three weeks ago. He is ten weeks old right now. He can be a sweetheart when he wants to. However he is very mouthy and stubborn also. I wanted to train him early about not growling and barking at us. He also pulls very hard on the leash. I can hear him choking himself some times. My vet advice me about the choke chain, but i don’t want to hurt him or lose the his trust between us. What is your take on the choke chain for training collar. Thank you

We have a 2.5 female shiba named akira. She was the biggest terror for the first few months but since then she is our pride and joy. We like shibas so much that we adopted an 8 month old cream male a few days ago from a rescue. They played fine at first but now she is very aggressive towards him. He is very submissive to her but we can’t pay any attention or bond with him while akira is around. She bites and snarles at him and other than saying no (which she responds to but then goes right back) I’m not sure how to discourage this behavior. We feed, pet, walk all at the same time but she won’t let him have a moment of peace. Please help us with what to do to discourage this behavior and have our shibas get along. We miss our sweet girl and we know the male is a sweetheart as well. We just want to start off on the right foot. Thanks!

he is wonderful at home, but at the vet he acts up so much that the vet thinks he is very aggressive…any ideas on how to help my shiba become a little more vet friendly?

Hello Shiba Gus – I would like a solution to this one too. I have the same problem with my Shiba and have consulted several trainers about this but have not been able to find a solution yet.

It is very likely fear aggression – which is what my Shiba has. You want to find a vet who understands that and can work with you to find a ‘workable solution’. The best vet I found was a dental specialist, who also seemed to know a lot about training dogs, and she was very patient and took her time with my Shiba. Unfortunately, she only does dental work and I have not been able to find one like that who does general care. Unfortunately, most vets don’t have the time to spend getting to know the dogs that they treat. If your vet is willing, getting your Shiba familiar with him/her would probably help a lot.

There are two options that are not great – but that work for my Shiba. 1. Put a muzzle on him before the vet visit. You must do regular desensitization work with the muzzle for this to work so that putting the muzzle on seems just like any other day to him and not a vet day. Or else, he won’t let you put it on. Go slow with the muzzle desensitization process and make it low stress and rewarding for him.

Never force the muzzle on – if you do, he will fight you from then on and it will become an uphill battle. Also, use a basket muzzle which will be more comfortable for him since he can still lick, pant, drink, etc.

2. When my Shiba gets accidentally hurt, he is already in a heightened state of stress, and at that point there is no way I can put anything on him much less a muzzle. In those situations, our vet works with us to safely restrict him with barriers, and they anesthetize him on his hind leg.

Not great – but so far the best that I have been able to do. I have tried desensitizing my Shiba to going to the vet, but that is difficult, because a ‘true’ visit is always unpleasant. As soon as they try to handle him and poke and prod at him, he gets really antsy. He is fine with just hanging around the waiting room and even waiting while my other dog gets examined, as long as he himself is left alone.

Please let me know if you find a good solution that works with your Shiba.

Thanks for visiting Zero. Sounds like you have a wonderful and very caring friend. It is strange but when I was visiting Shiba breeders last year, I met a beautiful long-haired Shiba who is also allergic to grass.

Some things that may help – 1. Get some shoes. The only thing that could be a problem with this is they might fall off if Zero does heavy activity outside. But I think for regular walks it should be fine.

2. Look up DermaPaw. I use this on my three legged dog to help heal cracks on her pads – and it works great. I am not sure how well it works for skin allergies, but you may want to check out their site and evaluate it for yourself. According to the people, they originally formulated the foot cream to help their own dogs with foot allergy problems.http://www.dermapaw.com/

3. Wipe and clean his paws after a trip outside. I usually just use a sponge and water to clean up my Shiba’s paws.

4. Check with your vet to see if he has any suggestions as to what is causing the skin allergy and what are some of the available treatments. Although, I would research the treatment options first before committing to anything.

Let us know how it goes. Zero sounds like such an awesome Shiba! Maybe he can give some lessons to my Sephy 🙂

I have a 6 month old male shiba who is absolutely wonderful in almost all areas…the only thing I am having trouble with is visits to the vet…he is wonderful at home, but at the vet he acts up so much that the vet thinks he is very aggressive…any ideas on how to help my shiba become a little more vet friendly?

My name is Zero and I’m a 3 year old light cream colored male Shiba Inu who loves my owner dearly… I don’t like that she lives at an apartment complex where the grass isn’t so soft and it’s always wet which bothers my paws to the point where I chew on them constantly… I’m given Benadryl several times a week, if not daily when my owner remembers to give it to me… Do you know of any other cures for my itchy paws?? I don’t mean to give my owner a hard time not wanting to go outside, but at the same time I love it outdoors (when there is perfect grass) and I can’t wait until winter time in Texas because that’s when I’m most happiest…

(My Shiba Inu is the BEST dog I’ve ever had and this is my first time to have a dog of my own… When I first adopted Zero, he was the most mild mannered Shiba Inu I have ever met and that’s why I adopted him… I knew there was going to be an instant bond… Sure, it took time for him to adjust to his surroundings but within several months of being exceptionally quiet, never barking, as a hearing impaired owner, I was relieved that he started barking at the door when people came to visit… He barks when anyone gets near my door or walks up the stairs of my apartment complex… I couldn’t ask for a better dog except for the stubbornness is really a patience test for me… Zero knows about my level of patience, but with patience on both of our parts, we compromise and make things work… I wouldn’t trade my Zero for any other dog, he truly is the best I’ve ever had… 🙂

Thanks for your suggestions. We have been working hard at trying to desensitize our Shiba to new noises and experiences and have made a lot of progress. She used to be afraid of the guitar/piano being played, handling of dishes and other household noises, but now she doesn’t react at all. Regarding her fears of going on walks,I guess we’ll try it one step at a time and reward her each time we go a little further away from the house. Thanks so much for this website and for the insight and suggestions you provide to others.

Hi Andy, My Siberian was fearful too when she was young. She used to be very fearful of new objects, and especially noisy objects like the garbage truck.

One of the things that worked well for her was to use desensitization exercises. You want to slowly expose her to new things from a distance – before she gets too stressed and is taken over by fear.

For example with the garbage truck, I would first desensitize my Sibe from inside the house during garbage day. We would both sit by the house window and when she could hear the garbage truck noise, I would ask her for her attention and treat. Later on I asked for other commands.

Once she was comfortable with that, we both sat on the doorstep of our house when the garbage truck passed, repeating the same exercise. If she got too stressed we would move back into the house. In general I wanted her to associate the garbage truck with focusing on me and doing obedience exercises, so that she slowly understands that nothing bad happens when the garbage truck passes.

Then we moved out and sat on our lawn, and so forth.

In general, you want to try and set the dog up for success and only expose her to small amounts of the stimulus so that she can handle it positively, and slowly gain more and more confidence.

Hi, We have a 14 week Shiba who has developed several fears that prevent us from walking her outside our yard. She is so fearful that we are not even able to coax with her favorite treat. She struggles tremendously to avoid going into the street or driveway and responds with fear when she sees something new like child on a bike, skateboard etc.

One of the things that worked well for me is it identify exactly what my Shiba’s greeting tolerances are and then try to manage and retrain them.

My Shiba generally does not like other dominant dogs. He also does not like strange dogs coming over and sniffing his butt, so I protect him from that. In general, small dogs don’t do well with my Shiba, so I only let him play with big dogs.

Once you identify what his dog-triggers are, you can desensitize your Shiba to them slowly, and build many positive associations with other dogs. I write more about my dog-greeting experiences here –http://shibashake.com/dog/dog-to-dog-aggression

I have a 7 month old shiba and a 2 year old shiba. They are completely opposite. My 7 month old shiba is such a love and overall a good dog. However, he is very aggressive towards other dogs, he especially goes for the face of other dogs. Because of this I have to put him in the dog run by himself. This can be difficult because finding a time when the dog run is empty is a challenge. He is very good with his “pack” (meaning my other shiba and my other little dog). But other dogs he wants to fight, bark at, and chase. I have tried scolding him, being the dominant one and nothing seems to work. Is there anything you would suggest? Thanks! Amanda

Heh, yeah. At first I thought you could just pick any breed you want and it’d all work out well, but now I know better. You have to take compatibility in consideration, just not what you think is the cutest. That’s probably a mistake a lot of owners still make, and sometimes unfortunately that leads to a dog being disowned or abused.

I honestly don’t think I could handle a Shiba Inu, then. I have this strange fear, yet love, for dogs. I have yet to make myself completely comfortable with them up in person with me. So I’d be at my wits end if my puppy was creating a disaster. I’m still young though, so it’ll be a while before I will get a dog.

I have a question though. Do you know anything about the Finnish_Spitz? They look a lot like the Shiba Inu (and dare I say more fox-like, too). I know they are a hunting breed, so they’ll need a lot of stimulation. Is it easier than the Shiba Inu, though? Temperament and behavior wise, that is.

Nevertheless, I don’t believe any dog can do well with a passive or meek owner, right? At least that’s what I have heard. You have to step up to the plate if you have a dog, so it’ll obey you.

Anyways, thank you for the quick reply and I hope your two cute dogs are doing well. What’s the name of your husky? :] I’m considering that breed, too.

Yeah I love the look of the Finnish Spitz as well. I don’t have any experience with one – they are a pretty rare breed I think. Temperament wise, based on what I have read, they are not an easy breed either. Seems like you really like ‘spitz’ type dogs – *me too* 🙂 – which based on my readings tend to be more primitive breeds, and as a result, generally have more challenging temperaments.

“Nevertheless, I don’t believe any dog can do well with a passive or meek owner, right?”

All dogs need structure, routine, and discipline, so as you say it is important as an owner to set boundaries for your dog. However, I strongly believe that teaching a dog these boundaries are best done using reward based training. Here is my article on dog psychology if you are interested.

Also, there is a great dog show on the National Geographic Channel called DogTown. Check it out if you have the time – it is my favorite.

“What’s the name of your husky? :] I’m considering that breed, too.”

My husky’s name is Shania. She is a major sweetheart and much much easier than my Shiba Inu. She has more energy than my Shiba, so she needs more exercise, but temperament wise she is just great. She loves being with people, she likes being petted, hugged, and whatever else. And she is well behaved at the vet. 🙂

I think Shiba Inus are incredibly cute looking and I ever since I read ‘Hachiko Waits’, they have been one of the top on my list of favorite dog species. However judging from your experiences and others’ comments, they are not a easy species. Of course every individual dog’s personality and behavior differs from one another, but there are general similarities I’m sure.

I will be a first-time owner whenever my family can afford a place that allows pets. lol It seems all the dog species I really like are rather difficult, especially for first timers (A German Sheperd is my second choice). I mean, any puppy can seem perfectly well behaved and lovable at first, until they start to grow older and then their personality truly develops. And as their owner, don’t we have to help them grow a personality in which we approve of?

So, from one to ten (ten being the worst), how difficult would you say the general Shiba Inu species is? Also, do you know any really good and reliable dog quizzes that see what species is most compatible for your lifestyle/expertise? I tried one before but I didn’t like any of the results lol.

“And as their owner, don’t we have to help them grow a personality in which we approve of?”

I really liked what you said here and definitely agree with you. I think it is our responsibility to teach our dogs how to live well in our very human world which must seem very foreign to them. I think that many people mistake ‘bad dog behavior’ to have bad intent behind it as well. This is not true. Dogs often misbehave simply because they do not understand what are appropriate behaviors and what are not. We must teach them our human manners in a language that they can understand.

“So, from one to ten (ten being the worst), how difficult would you say the general Shiba Inu species is?”

Personally, I would rate a Shiba to be about a 7 or 8. You can see from the poll above though, that not everyone agrees with me 🙂 I love my Shiba very much, but he is totally in a different class when it comes to handling, training, and everything else. This is in contrast to my Siberian, who also has an independent nature, but is just a lot easier to care for.

“Also, do you know any really good and reliable dog quizzes”

I haven’t done any of those although I probably should have 🙂 I think the most important thing is the time consideration. I had a lot of difficulties with my Shiba at first but was able to solve a lot of issues simply by putting in the time to train, exercise, and teach him, as well as teach myself. It was *a lot* of time though. If you have a busy lifestyle with less time to spend with the dog then it is much better to get a low energy breed with an easier temperament. Also note that the Shiba is not a lap dog. Shibas are usually aloof, and will not often come asking for attention. But when they do, it is very special 🙂

Noted: Dremel minimite grinder. I was going to get the one in the commercial. AY! ..Teeth brushing… it’s more like brush eating for Haruki! Oh well, at least there were still some brush action. I think it’s the tooth paste that he goes crazy for.

I totally understand. Sometimes I get confused after getting advice from friends and others and looses track. Lets hope that this guy I got to train me can put some fun into Haruki and my daily lives! I’ll be starting training next week and I’m really excited. I hope it works out!

I will be looking into the grinder at the local pet store. I hope it works, Haruki doesn’t like anything done to his nails… it was my fault. I took him to the vet and the helper was not gentle with him at all. By the time she had done with Haruki’s 10th nail, I stopped her and saw at least two were bleeding. For a puppy, it really freaked him out. I was trying to be nice…but in heart, I was cursing her for eternity… (sorry to be evil).

Thank you and sorry to trouble you in researching for me! I’m so greatful! Well, I signed up for a 2 hour private class with one of his team member and see what he would practice with Haruki. Furthering with him would really depend on what kind of method he would use.

I really take in to consideration on the advices and articales that you had written. I would love to be able to know how to train him properly so that would could have a great time. I want a good friend/family/pet and not a police dog. But it’s really hard to find a trainer who has effective possitive training method along with experience in training a Shiba. Mind if you fly over here and I provide air fair, food and lodge?

Haruki needs some classes… actually, I’m the one who needs training class so that I can have fun and also practice safety. I would hate to loose him because it was my mistake for not teaching him manners.

Thanks for the link, I’ll post my concerns there later and would be excited to see some feedback!

Haruki is now five months and he’s been quite good. He still does nib a little but he doesn’t bite/teeth on people anymore. My slippers are finally safe! But he still jumps on people and now that he’s tall enough, he tries to reach for our food. -_-” Even though he’s not aggressive about it, his nails are just too sharp. We will have to work on his manners much more. I’m only affraid that when my sister’s baby comes over Haruki might accidently scratch him by jumping up.

Hum, I’m not sure. I think your suggestions are great and I would like to know if you think it’s good to bring Haruki in for a CET style of training. It’s the method that Brad Pattison uses, it’s his team of people. I heard great things about him, and they get to have a lot of fun while training both owners and dogs. Since I think it would benefit me and Haruki in going to some classes.

Haruki will probably not like the grinder at first, so it will be important to very slowly desensitize him to it. It may take some time and a lot of patience and mackerel 🙂 but it can definitely be done. Do not get the Pedicure grinder – it has gotten bad reviews from people. I use the Dremel Minimite grinder which works very well.

Sephy also did not have good first experiences with nail clipping. I’m afraid I was the one who clipped into his quick and got it bleeding. It was a very traumatic experience for everyone. But now he is good about the grinding – he even likes it more than teeth brushing because he gets mackerel for the grinding.

As for the Shiba training – I totally know the frustration. I really had a hard time as well finding good trainers who knew Shibas. Ultimately though, I think *we* are the best trainers for our Shibas. We are the only ones who love them enough to put in the time and patience to outlast their stubbornness – lol.

Be careful not to let so-called professional trainers push you into doing something that you are not comfortable with. That happened to me a lot at the beginning and it did not go well for me or my Shiba.

Let me know how the class goes. I would be very interested in hearing about it.

Make sure you closely supervise Haruki with any young children though. Children – because of their small size can seem more like prey to a dog and as you know Shibas do have a strong prey drive. I would have him on leash at all times, and always under close supervision.

I am not familiar with Brad Pattison’s CET style. I just went to look it up, and he seems to have a strong focus on using aversive style training which in my experience did not work well with Sephy.

When I used collar corrections on Sephy, it ‘worked’ initially, but the cost was Sephy started losing trust in me, and I think it really weakened our bond. Also, Sephy started to get habituated to the collar corrections after some time, and I started having to keep escalating the force of my corrections which I do not think was beneficial to anyone. Personally, I am a big proponent of reward dog training. I think reward training best complements the Shiba Inu temperament and it carries a lot less risk.

I would really recommend getting a professional trainer to come over and observe his behavior.

The snarling, showing teeth, and humping all together are a bit worrying. It seems to me that he is trying to establish dominance in the household – but I can’t say for sure since I am not there observing any of his behaviors. There could be other factors. I think getting a positive reinforcement trainer who has had experience with Shiba Inus, to visit would be helpful.

Shiba Inus are a naturally dominant breed so the snarling and humping are not out of character. However, it is important for you to communicate to your Shiba that these types of behaviors are not appropriate. With a new Shiba, it is especially important to set up a lot of rules and structure so that he knows what is expected of him.

It is also important to always stay calm, consistent, and firm around a Shiba. My Shiba was extremely sensitive to my energy. These two articles may be helpful –

Re Snarling – This one is more difficult – as the snarling could be from a variety of factors. He may just want to space to rest without being disturbed, he may be trying to assert dominance, he may not like being crowded, etc. For now I would always supervise their play sessions together – and don’t let play escalate into aggression. When they can’t be supervised, keep them separate. You could also try letting him play with your others dog on a one-on-one basis and observe his behavior. This really is the area where a trainer would be really helpful – and the sooner the better – because long-term it is difficult to deal with dogs that don’t get along.

Re Humping – yeah that is unacceptable. Whenever he does that – non-mark him (ack, ack) and remove him to time-out. When you let him out of time-out just ignore him for a bit. If he starts again, remove him again for a longer period. Leg humping on people is an absolute no-no.

Btw. congrats on getting a new puppy 🙂 and kudos for getting him from a rescue. Let us know how it goes.

Hello, Over the fourth of July weekend my three-year old shiba was outside with two friends and their one-year old baby. The baby was placed on a pool deck with food and the dog came up and bit her in the face (she had to get stiches). Needless to say, we were devastated and felt horrible. We keep running over the many things that could have prevented the situation. He is not typically aggressive and from what I have read about shibas, appears pretty normal. However, I am concerned… especially because my husband and I are expected. Have you heard of any similar situations or do you have any advice? We do not want to give him up, but human safety is a priority. Thanks for your time!

Babies and young children are small, and smell different to dogs. They also do not move or sound like adults. As a result, dogs often view them as prey. And as you know, Shibas tend to have a pretty high prey instinct.

It is very possible however to get Shibas used to children and babies. I got my Shiba Inu from a breeder with 7 girls. When I visited her, she had her youngest toddler supervised, but around all her dogs, and she was totally ok.

I don’t have any children so I am out of my depth on this topic. But definitely repost your question on the nihonken Shiba Forum. There are a lot of Shiba Inu veterans there who know a lot about the breed.http://www.nihonken.org/forum/?CategoryID=16

I think it would also help to get a professional trainer to help you with the desensitization process.

We are a proud gaurdian of a 10 weeks old sheba imu name shoei who was a resue

I have a few questions for you if you don’t mind.

We have a 2 dogs a female 8 month old american bulldog and a 3 yrs old english bull dog. They are great dogs with wonderful attitude towards kids and other dogs. when we first took our shiba inu home. he started playing with them and all of a sudden started to snarle and show teeth. To me it look quite aggressive. is that how they play and interact ?

second question is

He seems to hump on everyones leg. We are going to try your time out method to see if it will work. do you have any suggestion?

I sure will get some pics for all. Thanks for the info it is very helpful. We have thought of some names but cant decide until we get him and see what he acts like. I think the two we are tossing around are Kato and Ryu.

This advice is great it will help alot when needed. I am getting a puppy shiba this weekend. He is a sesame colored Shiba and will be about 9 weeks old. My wife and I are ready to get a new friend. We have 2 cats now and are curious how our new friend will get along with them. We had one cat for a while and decided we needed another to keep company. They adjusted fine after a week or so. Will getting this puppy be the same situation or am I in for a whole new ball game? I would appreciate any advice you could give. Thanks alot.

lol – what awesome names. I think both would fit a Shiba’s personality. A Shiba can certainly be fierce like a dragon, and has super kung-fu moves. Most of the time we call our Shiba “Prince of Darkness” 🙂

Congratulations on your new Shiba Sheila. It usually takes dogs about 2 weeks to a month to get used to their new surroundings. It may be a bit longer or shorter depending on the individual temperament of the dog.

Some things that may help to boost your Shiba’s confidence:

1. Throw her a treat from a distance when you approach her. Make sure to do this *before* she gets agitated/spooked. This way you associate people approaching her with good things (treat). Once she is comfortable with this, you can slowly decrease the distance at which you throw her the treat. I would also continue with the hand-feeding. It helps establish a good bond, prevents food aggression, and can be used to train for bite-inhibition. Once she gets more comfortable, you can stuff some of the food in toys so she will have fun getting at it.

2. Obedience. Teaching your Shiba some obedience commands and doing short training sessions with her will also boost her confidence, improve bonding, and give you good tools to handle her when she gets older and bolder. Make sure to use positive reinforcement methods only and set her up for success so that training sessions are fun and rewarding.

3. Do not reward her fear. Our natural tendency is to want to cuddle our dog when she is showing fear. If we do this, then we are rewarding their fear, which will make them act even more fearful. It is best to redirect a dog when they are showing fear behaviors – e.g. distract them with a toy so that they are doing something positive instead of being fearful. If you can’t redirect then remove them from the fearful situation or just ignore them. It is also important to not expose them to too many fearful things at once. You want to introduce them to those things slowly and in a controlled manner.

4. Socialization. Socialization is very important for Shibas and will also help to boost your dog’s confidence. Expose your Shiba to new things everyday and pair those experiences with tasty treats. This will teach her that new things are not scary, but will get her yummy rewards. Make sure to start with less scary things – non moving, simple objects. When she gets comfortable with that you can move on to more advanced things like umbrellas, squeaky toys, and finally other dogs, people, and even scary people with umbrellas and hats.

Shibas are a naturally confident breed so she will be a bold Shiba in no time 🙂

I got a Shiba two days ago and she is very difficult. She hides anywhere she can find. She won’t eat unless I am holding her or she is sitting close beside me. I just got her to drink water for the first time today. She has not had any accidents in the house and that is good. I am however, concerned that she is so skiddish. She doesn’t come when called. She runs from me when I approach her. Will she snap out of this?

She will eventually snap out of it. In order to get my Shiba to listen when I call him to come, I have treats sometimes and reward him with a small bit when he listens. The important thing is to always reward them for coming on command, then as they do it without you waiting on them, lessen the times you reward them with treats and instead use “Good boy! /girl” and scratching their favorite spots and even playtime. I initially used treats, then good pats, toys, and randomized it based on whenever I had treats ready or not. He eventually got the memo, and always comes to me when I call, even when he’s in trouble. As for the eating, if you have treats and you reward her for eating without you being next to her (slowly move farther away each time she is successfully eating and reward it with good pats/playtime) she should realize that eating by herself is okay and do it without you being in the room at all. I use crunchy peanut butter on his bone, and he loves that so when he’s especially good he gets that reward. Remember your tone of voice and volume level is important to a Shiba, as they’re sensitive to temperament. Talk quietly but sweetly when she’s eating next to you while petting a bit, move farther and saying “Its okay you’re okay” softly, repeat this process until she gets the idea and you don’t have to be in the room. She’ll probably come to you after she’s finished eating looking for rewards and that’s a good time to play with her. Be patient! Shibas are independent and stubborn, so you’ve gotta be even more stubborn. Do not give in to her when she exhibits undesirable behaviors. Best of luck!

My Shibu is now five. And he’s great! He still has agressive tactics toward Some dogs, when walking.. we don’t take him to dog parks. But he has never dug, tried to escape.. in fact..he darts away from the gate…so we don’t worry about him trying to get Past us. When a puzzle, we had to work hard to trait…we had a young grandson, who he would try to Herd” and nipp…we Would Snack him..and eventually, he got better. But you must really watch around chindren. Now, he likes to be with us whatever room we’re in. Just lays nearby…if we engage him in play, he usually plays. When we arrive in the room..home..or others cine..he brings a toy to play…but like their nature… throw a ball? No…frisbee, no..only if He Wants to!!

Say come? Sometimes…but only if he wants. If we Insist..and call him many times..then he usually will.. eventually…but OMG…not until he stares you down, looks away…but we persevere..which is key… Then he will.. reluctantly.

He is very affectionate. Loves us…shows it..but they are not cuddly lap dogs. He loves getting up on the sofa..but he prefers tsit straight up…regally ..to be petted.. Continuously! Pushing our had over his head.. Forever!! Until we Insist he lay down. Then he will. But try to get him on your lap to cuddle? He’s Very Stiff..but will lay down eventually. You do need lots of love, patience and time. But then..if you’re lucky… You have a wonderful, loyal companion!

I give her treats and praise when she answers my call.. once my puppy scared herself by running off while the retractable leash still attached.. called her in a soothing tone a couple times, showed/explained to her ( in a gentle manner) what the sound was.. then waited by the car so she has sometime to process and calm down.. she came out to me soon after..

Congratulations Nick. When a dog enters a new home, he will generally be pretty well-behaved for the first 2-4 weeks. May be shorter for a Shiba. This goes for puppies, as well as older adopted dogs. People call this the “honeymoon period”. You are right that Rado was taking the time to fimiliarize himself to his new surroundings and routine. Now that he is comfortable, he is going to act more his Shiba-self which is the mouthy and rowdy part.

1. Re mouthy: Shibas tend to be very mouthy – even taking into account the teething. Therefore it is very important to teach them bite-inhibition. If there was only one thing I could teach my Shiba – that would be it. This really saved me later on when my Shiba graduated to more crazy behaviors like leash-biting and humping. I was able to control those behaviors with very little damage to myself because he had good bite inhibition.

This article has some of the techniques that helped me control my Shiba’s mouthiness:

2. Re: what is right and what is wrong: As you mentioned it is very important to set up house rules for the Shiba. If you don’t the Shiba will do whatever he wants. Some of my house rules include no biting on people, no going onto furniture, no humping (people or dogs or anything else), and no resource guarding. Be very consistent with enforcing those rules – i.e. no getting on furniture means no getting on furniture all of the time. I found it very useful to put a drag-lead on my Shiba so that I can more easily control him when his misbehaved and stop him from running away from me and initiating a fun game of chase. Establish two important words – a mark (Yes, or Good) and a non-mark (No, Bad). When he does something desirable, mark him (Yes) and reward him with a tasty treat. When he does something undesirable, non-mark him (No) and stop him from doing it. If he persists, then do a short time-out which works really well with my Shiba. I highly recommend only using reward (positive reinforcement) techniques with a Shiba, as they do not respond well to traditional aversive techniques like leash jerks, alpha rolls, etc.

3. Re Training classes: I did about 5 group classes with my Shiba and about 4 different private training courses with different trainers. My Shiba was also my first, so the classes really helped me. I highly recommend group classes, in particular those that allow the puppies to play together (e.g. SIRIUS puppy class). My Shiba started puppy class at about 11 weeks old. This will be a good start in socializing your Shiba to other dogs. Shibas can get intolerant of other dogs and sometimes people if not properly socialized. Make sure that the class checks for shots etc. to ensure that all the other puppies there are properly vaccinated. Many of the SPCAs, daycare or dog training centers here also organize free puppy playgroups during the weekends and this is a good way to expose your Shiba to new dogs, new people, and new situations. Just be careful to find a place with good facilities, and that have people supervising the playgroups and checking for proper vaccination records.

Hope this helps. Please feel free to post me more questions if you have any. I love my Shiba very much but he was a very wild thing initially. Like fine wine, they get better and better with age. 🙂

Hi. I just got a male shiba, Rado, couple weeks ago, who is now about 10 weeks old, and he can be really affectionate and loves to be with us. but now that hes been here in his new home hes been starting to act up and get more and more mouthy and rowdy. part of me says its because hes gotten more comfortable here and that hes probably teething (thus the elevated biting, which isnt ever all too hard or painful), but i also feel that hes beginning to think he can do what he wants most of the time. what are some things i can do to help make sure he learns whats right and whats not? and what kind of knowledge/experience do you have as far as training classes go? would it be worth it to to get him into some or would it be a waste of time…? this is my first shiba ive owned and anything that can help me raise him the right way would be really helpful.

[RVilleneuve] I think so too. It is commonly their dapper good looks that get them into trouble though, because they are easy to fall in love with, but difficult to live with 🙂 Sounds like most men.

[natralrednj] Thanks for sharing your lovely Shiba story with us. Your Teddie definitely sounds like a major sweetie. You also brought up an important point about the Shiba – they don’t bark much. Mine only barks to alert us when there are strange things going on outside. Another big positive of Shibas – extremely easy to potty train. I should definitely add the good points into the article too. Thanks!

I got my Shiba as a rescue dog. She was 7 at the time. She is the best dog who ever owned me. She was raised with 3 other dogs, smallest of the bunch. She loves everyone, humans and other dogs alike. When I got her I didn’t know what to expect. She turned out to be a lady. She cleans our cat and herself for hours at a time. She will be 12 this year and still plays like a puppy. In the 4 years I have had her she has barked 7 times. She does the Shiba scream but it comes out like garbled talk. I hope you all enjoy your Shibas as much as I have enjoy Teddie.

“the only pups he socialized well with were the pit bull puppies, and he terrorized the rest” – lol that is exactly like my Shiba. In puppy class he played really well with the other Shiba that was there but he was a bit too much for most of the other dogs.

The sad thing is that he is really a sweetie because he acted really well when we got a second dog (a tripod) and was extremely gentle with her when she was a puppy. He is very gentle with her even now, and lets her steal his toys and food.

I have tried many things to improve his social skills, but he just gets excited too quickly and loses control. He does best in a one-on-one setting where there is not too much stimulus. I also did one-on-one dog play sessions with him at the SPCA in the hopes that a more mature dog may teach him some social skills. However, he would try so hard to get the older dog to play, that they would give in and start playing with him, and be tolerant of his craziness. With less tolerant dogs, unpleasantness would ensue really quickly.

Thanks for your comments, and further stories! My Shibas are Toby (5 yr old male) and Jezebel (Bel, 3 yr old). I did have a blog of Toby’s exploits, but I’m in the process of redoing it, so right now it is not up. Toby looks just like your baby, though! Bel is a red sesame, and a little more foxy looking than most Shibas.

But early dominance, yes. The first day I got him, he attacked a GSD pup twice his size over his first bit of chicken (I feed my dogs the BARF diet). Toby bit the vet on his vet check at 7 weeks when she tried to examine him, and they recommended early neutering, and did say are you sure you want this dog? He didn’t do at all well in the puppy class–like yours, the only pups he socialized well with were the pit bull puppies, and he terrorized the rest. (It wasn’t a great class for Shibas–they asked me to leave finally because I couldn’t get him to stop threatening the other dogs–sometimes they counted his stare as threatening. I mean, damn, he was only 12 weeks old, and I came to the class to learn how to get him calmer. The class was run by an Akita person, so I thought they’d be more helpful, but weren’t).

For the person above who said she didn’t learn anything from the stories, well, she’s just lucky to have an atypical Shiba…And what I have noted is that females in particular tend to get more aggressive as they hit physical maturity, so just because the girl is calm now, doesn’t mean she will continue to be. My shibas got along ok, but problems started when Bel was about 2.5 and becoming more mature….

Oh, and they are drama queens! you should here Toby cry when he is outside and wants to come in….:)

[Jenny] lol – “Really only shaking from when he gets all riled up when we try to coax him to stand or walk.” How did the vet exam go today? Hope your little guy is feeling better.

[MSW599] Awesome that you are doing so much with her. And socializing her early will make a big difference later on. I was thinking of doing agility with my Shiba too, but he is so dog focused that I was afraid he would disrupt the class. I was thinking of getting some agility equipment and doing some with him at home, but the good stuff is so expensive. Let me know how agility class goes.

I have a 6 month old female Shiba who is a complete joy. She tries to the dominant one in the household, but by being firm with her she is learning just fine. She is my first dog in ages and I’m so glad we chose her. We’ve just started obedience classes and am working our way toward agility classes. I’ve also enrolled her in doggy daycare and try to send her at least once a week. I also have three days a week off and try to spend play time with her. She is an absolute joy!

The screaming is still bad, even today. But the wound looks great and is healing perfectly. The bruising is almost gone. It is not even tender to the touch, because he will let me clean it without him screaming. He has always been sensitive to EVERYTHING though! Getting shots, getting oral medication, even cold wind blowing in his face (we live in the Chicagoland area). He’ll get a check up in a couple days. He eats fine if we bring him food and will go to the bathroom, usually only once a day though. I think he holds it in all day so he doesn’t have to stand. He’s not really shaking from pain. Really only shaking from when he gets all riled up when we try to coax him to stand or walk. He gets really snarly and mean. I am wondering maybe tomorrow when the wound is even better healed, we should just take the collar off him and let him “explore” the area. I feel like he is still kind of mourning it. I know that sounds silly. He is not really protesting the e-collar. He is fine sitting with it, and sleeping with it and doesn’t try to bite at the collar itself. If I take it off, he doesn’t fight or scream when I put it back on. He protests when he tries to lick himself and he can’t do it. I took it off today and he was just licking the area like crazy and whining. Not like he was in pain, but a different, annoyed kind of whine. He doesn’t act much different after the pain meds either 🙁 I don’t know what it is! I guess we will find out on Friday. I miss my lively puppy.

Shibas are big drama queens. My Shiba is very sensitive to pain as well. Every time he is done with the vet, he acts like we just perpetrated this BIG BETRAYAL onto him and his great Shibaness. He would go off and mope on his own in our backyard and does not want anybody to come near him. Occasionally he would howl as if the world is about to end and yes he would refuse any food. Things usually improve significantly by the next day.

In terms of his neutering, the first day was really bad. He would shake from the pain and was unable to fall asleep the first night even with the pain meds. But things got better in terms of pain after the first day. The vet also gave us sedatives so that Sephy wouldn’t be too active while he was recovering. We only took him out on very short potty breaks. I kept him company in the kitchen where there was no furniture etc. that he could jump on. We did call up the vet and emergency room many times, with our questions about the shaking, activity, etc.

The screaming after 3 days is a bit strange. Could the screaming be protest for the e-collar? Sephy really hated the e-collar. The vet had only put his collar through two of the tabs in the e-collar and Sephy almost got the collar off himself. He managed to wedge his mouth in the e-collar tab area and cut his lip on the plastic. Getting the e-collar off him in his panicked state was a whole lot of fun.

Are you on any Shiba message boards? Shiba Inu Info on Yahoo is pretty good, and there is another active group on nihonken.com that is quite active. The people on both these groups are very active and helpful. Try reposting there to get more input. Hope this helps. Hugs and kisses to your little curly tail. Let us know how things go.

This was helpful! We have a 5 month old shiba male. Mostly he is really great, but yes, a bit mouthy. He doesn’t ever bite hard. I think sometimes he just likes having something in his mouth. He has lots of toys(chewy, stuffed), but prefers to play with slippers and pants. He LOVES to aggravate my 6 yr old daughter, which we always try to stop him and be firm with him but man… is he stubborn!

Recently he got neutered. This was just 3 days ago. He is SO bothered by it!!! He doesn’t want to walk, or barely stand. I was really worried and took him to the emergency vet place, and the vet said he was completely fine. Not infected, irritated, or swollen. The wound was closed up well, and we have an E Collar on him so he can’t get to it. Oh he just SCREAMS when he starts walking or anything. Even on the pain meds. The vet said he is just really sensitive to the pain and should be ok in a couple days. Ugh. The screaming… He is really being ridiculously dramatic and I hope he gets over it soon because I miss him being playful. Now he is just mopey and sad, and not excited about anything. Not even food! But he was sure happy to see the vet, tail wagging and everything. I know he can stand and walk because there were some random moments when he got up and ran, and once even ran up the stairs like lightning. I really think he just doesn’t want to walk. Sad puppy! Even his curly little tail is down 🙁

Shibamistress, thanks for your encouraging words, and for sharing your Shiba story with us. I think it is really good of you to put in so much effort and keep the female; despite her issues. I too thought of returning my Shiba in the initial months. In fact, my first vet told me to return him when I took him in for a first visit. I don’t think that vets anywhere like Shibas much 🙂 So far there is only one vet who truly does well with my Shiba and actually enjoys his personality. She is a dental specialist so unfortunately, we do not get to go to her for regular exams or issues.

I also really agree with the calming down. Many of the people that I meet when walking my Shiba think he is such a nice dog because he doesn’t pull and walks at a nice pace. I always try to warn them that Shibas are a big challenge to care for but they probably think I’m exaggerating. Everybody at the vet knows better though 🙂 I have been trying to make improvements in this area but have not been able to find anything that works well yet.

It is always great to hear from a Shiba veteran so thanks for stopping by. Btw. what are your Shibas’ names? If you have pictures up on the web, I would love to see them so please send me a link. Thanks!

This is some of the best, most honest advice I’ve seen on Shibas. I have two, the first a very dominant male (now 5) and a less dominant but deadly female (now 3). I say deadly, because my female nearly killed the generally more aggressive and bigger male, and she also is an accomplished hunter who kills birds, mice, anything she can catch (and she’s fast!). After the fight between my two shibas, I thought I would get rid of her, but didn’t think I could place an extremely dog aggressive girl, and after awhile, I got used to keeping them separate–all the time.

What I’ve learned? These are very difficult dogs, and mistakes with them–whether it is not teaching them bite inhibition as you note, or just underestimating their aggressiveness–is a very bad idea. What I’ve also learned is that the little terror I had–my male Shiba–has calmed to a mature, dignified animal who is so sweet most people wouldn’t believe he was the devil he was (though he has the scars to prove it). I’m still hoping my female will turn out the same way, but either way, I’m committed to giving them both good (if separate) lives.

So yes, think twice…or more…before getting a Shiba, but if you’re up for it, as your page demonstrates, they are amazing dogs.

Hi Tyler. Congrats on getting a Shiba. It is important to redirect your Shiba onto a toy after you do the yelp. In this way you teach him that biting on people in not acceptable, but biting on a toy is. Make sure to reward him with food and praise when he redirects onto the toy. This will reinforce the behavior.

Also remember to keep up with the bite inhibition training and hand feeding.

In what situation is your Shiba biting you? My Shiba used to bite my hands when I scratched his tummy because he was too excited. When he does this, I stop scratching. He quickly learned that to keep the tummy rubs going, he can’t bite. Shibas may also bite when you try to make them do something that they do not like (e.g. putting on the collar, grooming). In this case, you want to desensitize your Shiba to the “unpleasant” activity by pairing it with rewards so that it doesn’t seem so unpleasant anymore.

Shibas may also bite when you try to stop them from doing something unacceptable, etc. How you deal with the biting will depend on the situation.

ambergirl, you are very lucky to have such a calm and loving Shiba. My Shiba was very hyper for the first year. He started to calm down at one, and got better from there. However, he still has his moments 🙂 Congratulations for getting and training such a well-behaved Shiba! Share some photos of your sweetheart with us. Would love to see her.

i really didnt learn anything from this. I’ve had a shiba for 2 years. I got her from a local breeder and she is so calm. She sleeps most of the day and is such a good dog. she only rough houses when she is outside although she dose like to run around the house and play occasinaly.